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ABSTRACT. The dominant colonial scientific narrative of managing disease is one of risk, response, and control. This narrative, while shifting, continues to frame the priorities and delivery of how biosecurity is implemented in Aotearoa|New Zealand and elsewhere. In this article, we explore the narrative position of four artistic works commissioned in response to the pathogens Phytophthora agathidicida (kauri dieback) and Austropuccinia psidii (myrtle rust). While much is still unknown about these pathogens, they threaten the unique species of the indigenous forest(s) of Aotearoa|New Zealand. The commissioning research team Toi Taiao Whakatairanga sought to ‘widen public awareness’ about the two pathogens. In response, nine commissioned artists developed an alternative narrative to the conventional science-based approach to both the framing of disease and biosecurity efforts focused on eradication. We use collaborative narrative analysis with four of the nine projects to describe the practices that have produced the alternative framings in the artworks. We draw on the notion of the ‘contact zone’ to explore how these narratives as art provide a ‘truth buffer’ free from expectations for ‘facts’ that, in process, open possibilities for different kinds of knowledges and action. We suggest that the artists’ work tends to explore the wider systemic context of biosecurity rather than the pathogen-specific perspective. We postulate that alternative narratives might alter the approach to governance, management, and care relations for te taiao (the natural environment).

Keywords: art; narrative; forest; disease; biosecurity; te taiao

How to cite: Jerram, S., Diprose, G., Waipara, N., Harvey, M., Mullen, M., Craig-Smith, A., and McBride, C. (2023). Disease Narratives and Artistic Alternatives. Knowledge Cultures, 11(1), 135–153. https://doi.org/10.22381/kc11120238

Received 15 November 2022 • Received in revised form 10 February 2023
Accepted 24 February 2023 • Available online 1 April 2023

open access

Sophie Jerram
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Creative Arts and Industries,
Waipapa Taumata Rau|University of Auckland
Aotearoa|New Zealand
Gradon Diprose
Manaaki Whenua|Landcare Research
Aotearoa|New Zealand
Nick Waipara
Plant and Food Research
Aotearoa|New Zealand
Mark Harvey
Creative Arts and Industries,
Waipapa Taumata Rau|University of Auckland
Aotearoa|New Zealand
Molly Mullen
Education and Social Work,
Waipapa Taumata Rau|University of Auckland
Aotearoa|New Zealand
Ariane Craig-Smith
The Kauri Project
Aotearoa|New Zealand
Chris McBride
The Kauri Project
Aotearoa|New Zealand

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